Stemple said that the $11.2 million federal grant, secured through the Hardest Hit program, is the largest single demolition grant the city has ever received. Knocking down nearly 1,000 blighted, vacant homes will make a noticeable difference for the community.

"It's going to have a big change," Stemple said.

Novak said that he believes eliminating the blighted homes can reduce crime, arson and instill a sense of hope for a positive future in neighborhood residents.

"Driving around the city, it's exciting to see little pockets of hope," he said. "We're going to leave the neighborhood better than we found it."

Stemple said the project has been divided into two phases:

Identification and demolition of homes that are already city or county-owned.

Identification, purchase and demolition of homes that are currently privately-owned.

The first phase, consisting of the demolition of about publicly-owned 400 homes, should be completed within the next five months.

Novak invited anyone interested in selling their vacant, blighted home as part of the demolition project to contact Stemple at 989-759-1421. Stemple said applications for property owners interested in selling are available in his office on the second floor of City Hall during business hours Monday-Friday.

Stemple and Novak said the entire project will conclude before April 30, 2015, maybe sooner.

Stemple laid out the basic projected budget for the project:

Acquisition costs — $2.4 million

Demolition costs — $7.6 million

Administration stipend — $475,000

Maintenance stipend — $712,500

The administration stipend is being split 50/50 between the city and the county land bank, Stemple said. It is being used to pay for office supplies, gas, other supplies and to offset the salaries of city employees working on the grant, though no new employees have been hired.

"You won't see any new faces here at City Hall," Stemple said. "We just absorbed this work into what we do every day."

He said they are still exploring different options for what to do with the maintenance stipend, which amounts to $750 per property. The stipend is meant to maintain empty lots after demolition and has no expiration date.

Councilman Norman Braddock thought back to something he remembered former development director Odail Thorns saying about blight in Saginaw, that for every one house the city tore down two more blighted properties sprung up to take its place. Braddock asked Stemple if that is still true today.

"Have we hit the bottom?" he asked.

Stemple said he thinks the speed of housing stock deterioration has slowed over the past decade and is hopeful that the current project will allow the city to catch up with that spreading blight.

"I don't think it's quite one for two anymore," he said. "I think after we get done with this work here, we'll catch it."

As an example of the change, Stemple gave the yearly arson watch program in which he and other members of city staff break into abandoned homes. A reward is offered for anyone reporting the group to the police.

"The first year we did that it wasn't too tough to find an empty and vacant and houses in the city," Stemple said.

This year, he said, it wasn't so easy to find those empty homes in neighborhoods across the city.

"It's a whole lot different than it was six or seven years ago," Stemple said. "I think we will catch it after this round."

The ultimate goal, Novak explained, is to get the vacant lots created through demolition efforts like this back into the hands of responsible, tax-paying residents. To help accomplish that, he said, the Saginaw County Land Bank offers lots up for purchase to neighboring property owners for a minimal price.

The "going rate" for a city side-lot, Novak said, is about $310. Stemple said that many of the demolition contractors have reported that neighbors are eagerly inquiring about properties being demolished and whether or not the lots will be available for purchase.

"Folks are excited to find the opportunities are available," Novak said.

The county treasurer said that he hopes that, as the blighted homes are eliminated from neighborhoods, the residents that remain take it as a sign to reinvest in their own homes and regain hope that Saginaw is headed in the right direction.